Waterpower in Derby

Derby City Council showcased some of its pioneering work on climate change on 14th November 2012, with the River Derwent looming large. This was the second in a programme of peer learning days organised by Climate East Midlands and follows the first successful event in Kettering, Northamptonshire in October.

The event included a site visit to a new installation on the bank of the River Derwent at the Longbridge Wier, where a 230Kw hydropower turbine will shortly come on stream. Most of the renewable energy generated will be used in the refurbished Council House, 100m upstream and any excess (e.g. overnight) will be sold back to the grid. This £1.7m development is expected to pay for itself in 22 years in the form of reduced energy bills and Feed in Tariff and will reduce the carbon footprint of the Council's main corporate building. The scheme has been carefully designed so that it doesn't increase flood risk and also to allow fish to pass easily. Most of the cost has been due to the civil engineering work involved rather than the turbine itself. However the building housing the turbine has a removable circular roof so that the turbine can be easily removed or replaced at a later date if needed.

One of the other aspects of the peer learning day was the Our City, Our River Masterplan which was adopted by the City Council in the summer and is featured as one of Climate East Midlands new set of Adaptation Case Studies. The Council and the Environment Agency are working together to improve the level of flood protection to central Derby, up from 1:25 to 1:100, but without resorting to the construction of very high (2m) flood walls that would cut the river off from the city. The plan instead is to leave a wide corridor that will allow flood water to pass through unimpeded and to incorporate a range of flood protection measures into new developments, with some of the costs shared with developers in order to make the whole scheme more affordable. This is a different and ambitious new approach to traditional flood protection and one which seeks to maximise the economic and environmental value of the riverside, whilst future proofing against the increasing risks of flooding due to climate change. The downside is that the Masterplan could cost in the region of £83m and hence implementation is likely to take up to 20 years to complete.

Further Peer Learning Days are being organised and details will be posted here shortly.

Please contact [email protected] for more information.